Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is the second-largest city in the state after Philadelphia and has a metropolitan population of about 2 million people. It is not a massive city by any American standards, but it has become known as the “Steel City” during its development of steel-related businesses. It’s also called the “City of Bridges” as it has 446 bridges and is located at the confluence of three rivers.

Nowadays, a large number of technology companies dominate Pittsburgh’s life, from Google to Apple to Facebook and Microsoft. The area is rich in universities and colleges, and in 2015, Pittsburgh was voted among the “eleven most livable cities in the world” by Metropolis magazine.

The best-known medical school in the area is the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, ranked highly in the US for both research and applied education. Aside from it, there are a large number of universities in Pittsburgh covering fields like nursing, occupational healthcare, etc. 

Below, we have ranked the University of Pittsburgh and the other options in the medical field as well.

Feel Free to Check: 15 Best Medical Schools in the United States

Pittsburgh’s Best Medical Schools

1. University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Along with Carnegie Mellon University and Carlow University, the University of Pittsburgh is part of the city’s traditional cultural center in the Oakland neighborhood. This forms a hub of student life and research and study facilities.

The University of Pittsburgh was established 1787 and has one of the largest research programs in the US. Within it, the School of Medicine was founded as the Western Pennsylvania Medical College in 1886. Its mission is to improve the health and well-being of people through its medical research, innovative educational programs in medicine and biomedical science, and leadership in academic medicine.

You can study for the MD Degree at this medical school in Pittsburgh, as well as multiple PhD opportunities as well as master’s degrees. There are also a whole host of training programs complementary to the medical professions. The MD program focuses on what they call person-to-person medicine, i.e. putting the patient first and considering them as a human being above all else.

In order to apply for admission, you should check the starting dates on the website and the associated calendar of when applications and supporting documents need to be in by. International students have the same academic requirements as US citizens, and this includes one year of higher education within the US or Canada as well as the prerequisite courses and fluency in English.

For 2019/20 academic year, the cost of attendance for a Pennsylvania resident is c. $59,000 per year based on tuition and fees and excluding living expenses. A non-resident student will have to pay c. $61,000 per year. The university operates a financial aid office with support for all students, regardless of citizenship and residence, so it is worth consulting this to get an idea of the options available.

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2. Duquesne University School of Pharmacy

Duquesne University is one of the other big universities in Pittsburgh, with a School of Pharmacy founded in 1925. This is one of the top schools of pharmacy in the United States ranked highly based on their academic programs, hands-on training, and nationally recognized research and leadership.

In 2016, the US News & World Report ranked the School of Pharmacy fifth in the US among the private schools of pharmacy, and a survey of graduates indicates that 97% feel prepared and confident to enter the workforce. At this school, you will have the opportunity to customize your education with different focus points from geriatrics to pharmacy management to pharmaceutical research. You will also have the benefit of a serious connection with the community and many student organisations with events allowing you to enhance your skills in the real world.

Costs are c. $37,000 per year for tuition only, and there is no difference if you are a Pennsylvania state resident or not as this medical school in Pittsburgh is privately funded. However, there are a range of grants and scholarships available to apply for in order to fund your studies at Duquesne.

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3. Chatham University School of Health Sciences

The highly competitive School of Health Sciences focuses on medical, psychology and nursing degrees to prepare students for various medical professions. Students here learn by going through actual medical cases, and there is a strong emphasis on inter-professional education. The latter means that you will be working and studying in among students in nursing, psychology, physician assistant studies, occupational therapy and physical therapy, ultimately sharing your knowledge and learning from each other’s practical experience as well. They pride themselves on having 100% employment rates for alumni within 6 months of graduation from any of the programs on offer.

Only c. 25% of applicants gain admission to the School’s programs for an annual intake of about 400 students. This makes the learning environment very close-knit and there is a lot of access to the faculty members, who are mostly practicing clinicians.

There are a wide range of master’s degree programs you can study here such as MA in Psychology or MSc in Nursing, and you can also attend the school to study for further education by obtaining a PhD. Fields of study for the PhD diploma are: Nursing Practice, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Counselling Psychology.

The School of Health Sciences is located at Chatham East-side, and is part of the Shayside Campus of Chatham University. This is a vibrant area of Pittsburgh, close to a busy retail district that is home to Google’s Pittsburgh office.

Finally, this medical school in Pittsburgh is well known for its international collaborations which sometimes include international travel to provide services in healthcare settings, an interesting plus for a medical student.

The cost of attending the SHS depends on the program, and it’s calculated per credit. For example, the MA in Psychology takes 36 credits at $987 each, i.e. $35,532, but you will also need to budget for some additional fees. Chatham offer financial aid and you can find out more details as well as details on each program from their website.

 

We hope that this article on best medical schools in Pittsburgh was helpful. If you are interested in studying abroad, check out the Available Programs for International Students!

About the Author: Hyun Lee

Hyun is the founder at Global Scholarships. He has received a full-tuition scholarship at Birmingham-Southern College as well as $1,000 Burger King Scholarship for his undergraduate degree and has been offered a fully funded scholarship consisting of tuition, living stipend, and health insurance for computer science Ph.D. program at North Carolina State University. Read more about his scholarship journey here.

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